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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Empirate" data-source="post: 5368084" data-attributes="member: 78958">No. It is a "mindless automaton" that "does only what it is ordered to do". No attack order - no attack forthcoming.Indeed, nonintelligent Undead have no sense of self-preservation unless ordered otherwise. They're machines. Animated not by a mechanic but by Animate Dead, powered not by electricity but by Negative Energy, but otherwise machines. Thus, no auto-attacking at all. No auto-anything really. They know how attacking works - but nobody ever told them when to use the procedure.Being able to "attack" if ordered to do so should include more than just flailing around with their claws. In order to be functional in their accustomed role at all, Skeletons must at least be able to perceive enemies, choose one of them to attack (based on distance or something), move next to them, and have a claw make harsh contact with their flesh. Skeletons have a Dex bonus to AC, so I would assume they still try to avoid incoming hits as well.All in all, Skeletons are not worse combatants solely by virtue of being mindless. I would judge that this include avoiding obvious obstacles, including pits.It is easily explained in game terms, less easily translated into sense-making argument.In game terms, there are two explanations:a) Animate Dead is a spell with an Instantaneous duration. You cast it and the spell is over immediately, but the Skeleton is not. For that reason, Antimagic Field has nothing to nullify - there is no spell maintaining the Skeleton.b) Skeletons are Creatures, like Humans or Vrocks or Magma Paralelementals, but unlike trees or grass or bacteria. Creatures are unaffected by Antimagic Field except if they're summoned. They're not magical in that there are no "magical effects, including spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities" necessary to maintain them (quoted from the spell description).Making sense of this:Skeletons are automatons that are obviously not maintained by magic - otherwise Antimagic Field would have an effect on them. This means they must in some way be self-contained. We know that all Undead are powered by negative energy, and in Libris Mortis there are hints that all Undead may contain a miniature portal or rift to the Negative Energy Plane. This rift is more or less stable.Some Undead, like Vampires or Spectres, must maintain it by feeding. Their functions are highly complex and need a lot of, not magical, but "negative" processing to work. Feeding on life essence is necessary to balance the scales/turn it into negative energy/satisfy the Powers of the Negative Energy Plane/whatever.Less complicated Undead, especially the automaton-like mindless ones, need much less involved "negative" processes to function and don't have to feed. The little bit of negative energy that bleeds through the simple rifts at the core of their being sustains them indefinitely.An Animate Dead spell simply creates the rift and assembles the bones into a shape. The rest is brought about by the virtues of negative energy itself. Like an OS, negative energy imprints itself on the body or spirit being used to create and Undead creature and provides basic functionality.That's my take on it, hope this helps!</blockquote>

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